


Space Cats

by uncaringrose



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, Galra!Keith, I decided, a bit of angst later, cute space cats, had this idea right before i went to sleep, just a feel-good kinda story, more of a plot too, pairings are going to gradually build, she/her pronouns for pidge, theyre not gonna be so minor, this children needed some cats
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-18
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-08-09 15:14:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7806817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uncaringrose/pseuds/uncaringrose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Allura and Coran decided the paladins needed some animal companionship. Their mission can cause a lot of stress, and they luckily have just the animal in mind.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>They get space cats. A multi chapter fic  involving them and their relationships with said space cats. Klance and Shallura are heavily hinted at.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I really hope those aren't space monsters

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea right before I went to bed last night. I thought it was a cute idea, and thought "why not?" (I wrote this in like two hours. I'll put more effort in in the next chapters. Which will also be longer, hopefully.)

Coran was nowhere to be seen, and it was putting the paladins on edge. Even Shiro was tapping his foot rather awkwardly and turning his head from side to side. They were all expecting to see the mustache clad man to jump out from behind a corner. He wasn’t in the kitchen, training room, or control room. When they asked Allura about him, she just smiled widely and didn’t respond. 

Lance and Hunk were already planning, in depth, on how to survive in one of their rooms for an indefinite amount of time when Pidge walked in.

“One of the pods is gone,” she said uneasily. Shiro and Keith were on the couch, and their leader’s foot came down faster. Last time Coran went out on his own he somehow managed to get banned from a planet and get married to an alien with three eyes in a matter of three hours. Alien divorce wasn’t an easy process either. They all agreed they would have rather been fighting an entire fleet during that time.

Anyways, the paladins of Voltron were now looking at each other warily. They loved Coran, they did, but he terrified them at the same time.

“Paladins,” Allura’s chipper voice rang through the speakers, causing all of them to jump. “Please come to the control room for a surprise.” All their stomachs did a one eighty. With one last look at each other, Shiro nodded and they all began their trek to Allura.

“You all look a bit grey!” Coran was standing in the middle of the room, five boxes sitting behind him. He smiled brightly, bouncing on his heels excitedly. “I’m sure this will put some color in you brave paladins!” One of the boxes moved. Hunk hid behind Shiro.

“Coran, I really hope those aren’t, like, space squids or monsters or something,” the yellow paladin squeaked. Their orange haired friend laughed.

“Nope! They’re your new pets!” At that, all them stilled. Allura and Coran were smiling at them, seemingly unfazed. 

“Pets,” Lance repeated, raising an eyebrow. He liked animals, even loved them, but he was scared to see what Coran’s idea was of a “pet.” Looking back at the boxes, they were fairly big. They had holes poked into them on the sides, and weren’t that big. They were about two feet wide, three feet tall. You could probably fit a small dog in one of them.

“Ah yes! I was pleasantly surprised to see they weren’t extinct when I went down to the market the other day. After talking about it with the Princess, we decided you guys could use a bit of animal companionship,” Coran informed them, and Allura nodded along.

“While you have your lions, they aren’t exactly prime candidates for everyday comfort,” the Princess continued. “Besides, the old paladins had these after my father noticed them growing depressed. They improved greatly in battle as well! As a matter of fact, they would sometimes take them with them on missions. These animals are amazing normal companions, but also have a great instinct in battle. Many planets use them in war too. They become very dedicated to their owners, and they are a fierce opponent when provoked. And seeing what kind of mission we’re on, they’re honestly the only option I would ever consider. They handle loud noises and pressure very well.”

“That's great, Princess, but what are they?” Shiro eyed the boxes with obvious unease.

“They’re known as Kaia,” Coran replied, picking up one of the boxes and handing it to the man. Smile growing, if possible. “Nobody’s really sure what planet they originate from.” The box in Shiro’s arms wiggled and a sound that could be a toss up of a meow and snarl bounced out of it. “I chose one with each of you in mind. This one is yours, Shiro! Go ahead! Open it!”

Everyone crowded around Shiro, who had set the box on the ground so he could sit in front of it. Hunk was still hiding behind him, but more curious than scared. Lance and Keith were sitting on either side of him, and Pidge was on the other side of the box. Slowly, the black paladin took the top off.

The first thing they noticed was the ears. They were HUGE. They flicked back and forth, becoming a white blur briefly. Yellow, almond shaped eyes stared up at Shiro. If he could compare it to an earth animal, he would most likely say it most closely resembled a cat, with odd rabbit like ears. Except its snout was a little longer, a tad like a fox. The body was very feline though. However, it had two tails that moved independently of each other. It was all white, with sleek fur that shined. It was about the size of an average adult cat, though its paws were a little too big for its body.

“Okay. First one that’s gonna say it. That thing is freakishly cute. Like, seriously,” Hunk spoke up. Everyone nodded in agreement.

“This thing was used in war?” Keith watched as Shiro lowered his hand to stroke the creature’s head. It closed its eyes, swishing its tails softly in content. “It’s so small,” he added, looking at Coran.

“Well, it’s small now. They get fairly large,” the man replied, putting his hands on his hips.

“Wait. How big?” Pidge was standing up now, having fixed an odd look on the two Alteans.

“Um, I believe they get to about this size,” Allura answered, a hand moving about her hip. “I suppose you could equal it to the size of one of your earth ‘dogs’ Shiro told me about.” 

“That’s too cool,” Lance announced, having joined Shiro in petting the kaia.

“Indeed, young paladin. I’ve already made the proper adjustments to the ship to accommodate them. Toiletries, food receptacles, and so on.” As Coran talked, Allura made her way closer to the boxes, opening one of the ones in the middle and picking up the kaia inside. “Ah! That one is number five’s.” Pidge whirled around, seeing the Princess cradling a calico colored one. Green eyes stared back at her, and okay, she was excited. She bounded over and plucked the creature from Allura’s arms. It made a small, squeak-like noise, and head butted her softly on the forehead. 

“They are very smart animals,” Allura informed them as she opened another box. This time she pulled out a grey one with almost black eyes. It was Keith’s, who took it with stiff arms. “And they can learn many commands, but can also take care of themselves very well.” Another was pulled out. Light chestnut fur and chocolate eyes called out to Hunk. He didn’t need to be told it was his as he scooped it into his arms.

“Who’s a wittle cutie,” he cooed, much like the time he talked to the Balmera. The kaia seemed to enjoy it, mewling softly in return. Lance was then handed his. Black fur and blue eyes that buried into his chest in a sleepy act. Joyful tears were shed.

“Now, don’t be surprised if they start following you around everywhere! They can be pretty clingy,” Coran announced, twirling his moustache proudly. “My grandfather once had one that followed him all the way-”

“Thanks, Coran,” they all shouted before he could continue and fleeing the room, odd space cats in their arms. Allura patted a deflated Coran’s shoulder before walking after her paladins. 

***

“Have you decided on names,” the Princess asked the next morning. As Coran had said, the kaia were clingy. After sleeping with their owners for one night, they seemed to have gotten the message that they had been adopted. Each of them were sitting next to their paladin’s chairs. Sometime during the moment they got them and breakfast, Lance managed to make a blue scarf to put around his kaia’s neck. They both were very proud of it.

“Shiro named his ‘Hime’,” Keith quickly responded with a snicker. Shiro gave him a look that screamed “I trusted you!” “They were going to find out anyway.” That didn’t seem to ease their leader’s embarrassment, whose face was quickly gaining color. 

“I don’t even know what that means,” Lance added, confusion flickering across his face. Before Shiro could stop him, Keith replied.

“It means Princess in Japanese.”

 

Everyone (except Shiro) broke out into laughter. Allura had a small blush on her cheeks. Well, the black paladin had named her Hime because her fur reminded him of the Princess’s hair. But she didn’t need to know that. Actually, NO ONE needed to know that. With a start, he remembered that Keith had also shared what he had named his kaia.

“So, how is AVA this morning, Keith?” The red paladin immediately stopped laughing. He couldn’t even deny it. Said creature had quickly turned at the sound of her name.

“Dude, that sounds so girly,” Lance said in between laughs, snorting once. Keith’s face burned.

“Well, it just so happens she is a GIRL, Lance,” Keith spat, glaring at the blue paladin.

“I know, I know. But I thought you would name her something, I don’t know, more threatening? Like, Killer or Slicer.” 

“Why would I name her something dumb like that?”

“You seem like the kind of guy who would.” Lance shrugged, still smiling. Pidge and Hunk nodded in agreement. Annoying the red paladin further.

“What did you name him, anyways,” Keith grumbled, pointing at the other’s companion. 

“Chavo.” Blue eyes looked up at Lance happily, who smirked when Keith failed to come up with a joke relating to it.

“Pidge? Hunk?” Allura’s eyes were lit up, obviously happy that her paladins were enjoying their new companions.

“Wires,” Pidge replied, shoving another spoonful of food goo into her mouth. Wires was no longer sitting next to the chair, instead deciding his owner’s lap was much more comfortable.

“Spice. I really miss spices from Earth.” Hunk grew teary eyed, and Spice looked at the paladin sadly. She didn’t seem to understand that he was mostly putting on a show. Shiro patted the yellow paladin on the back. 

Having space cats wasn’t going to be so bad.


	2. In Which Hime and Wires Assign Bedtimes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hime and Wires don't appreciate it when their paladins don't go to sleep on time. Or when they sleep in the wrong places.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the wonderful comments! I didn't think so many people would like this silly story. Haha. Anyways, I took more time on this chapter, and I'm pretty proud of it. After this, however, I'm afraid updates have more time in between them. School is starting up again, and I'm going to be VERY busy. 
> 
> This chapter is longer than the first one! I hope you guys like it!

The mission had gone smoothly. They got in, got out, took down the fleet and had the data they needed secured in Pidge’s laptop. Shiro sighed in relief once they landed in their hangars, and Black purred softly in his mind, urging him to get some sleep. It had been a long day, and he really should. 

Too bad he could never sleep for more than two hours at a time.

The night terrors were too much, even though he could never remember them when he woke up. Sighing, he joined his team in the control room after assuring Black he was all right. As soon as he entered the room, however, a flurry of white jumped into his arms. For a moment he stilled, the ghost of fear piercing his heart, before realizing it was just Hime. He cradled the kaia who was happily head butting his forehead affectionately. Shiro still wasn’t fully used to being greeted this way. Yellow eyes fixed on him when Hime saw his shocked look.

Then her paw flew up tapped his nose. Lance, Hunk, and Pidge gasped loudly, their arms filled with their companions as well. But they were looking right at Shiro.

“Shiro! She just booped your nose,” Lance cried, holding Chavo up in a Simba-like style. His eyes were blown wide, and his jaw slack. 

“That was so cute,” Pidge added, giggling. Wires wiggled in her grip, as she was holding/hugging him under his front legs much like you would image a five year old to do. But he was too big for her to carry normally now. He didn’t really seem annoyed, though.

“Is ‘booped’ even a word,” Keith asked, crossing his arms after setting Ava on the floor. Said space cat looked rather peeved by being put down before she wanted to. Pidge and Lance suddenly looked at him as if he had grown a second head.

“‘Booped’ is most certainly a word,” Lance informed, allowing Chavo to leap out of his arms. Then he strided over to Keith, getting close enough to where their feet were touching. The red paladin looked uneasily at Lance, as if trying to figure out what he was planning. “Observe,” the blue paladin raised his right hand. “Boop!” A finger flew down and pressed onto Keith’s nose before Lance quickly took off running, laughing maniacally. Pidge just shot him a thumbs up, despite the fact he couldn’t see it.

“LANCE,” Keith screeched, red dusting his face as he raced after him. Ava and Chavo trailed behind, perplexed by their owner’s actions. Hunk sighed and, still cradling Spice, took off towards the kitchen for a quick snack. 

“Oblivious idiots,” Pidge muttered, walking off towards her lab. That left Shiro, still confused, in the control room with Allura and Coran. The two Alteans noticed the sudden silence, and looked up to see the black paladin smiling down at Hime, who was still curled up in his arms.

“Shiro,” Allura said, gaining the man’s attention. He smiled at her and nodded, showing her he was listening. “You should go get some sleep. You have dark lines under your eyes.” A soft hand rested on his upper arm as she looked at him with concern.

“Sure thing, Princess,” he replied, turning and leaving the room. But he didn’t go to his room. If anything, he went further away from it. Hime was now walking at his side, and she watched him open the training room door with a judgemental stare. He didn’t notice.

A few hours flew by as he punched into the gladiator bot and did his usual exercises. All the while, Hime sat on the side of the room, now the size of a small dog. Two weeks had gone by, and Shiro still sometimes heard Hunk mutter to Spice “I’m so glad you didn’t end up being a space monster.” He smiled at the thought, running a hand over his head to rub the back of his neck.

Meanwhile, Hime was still watching him. She swished her tails rapidly, but Shiro had no idea it was a sign of anxiety or worry. So, he moved over to a punching bag, forcing away his earlier feeling of fatigue. He was fine. He just didn’t want to sleep. Not when everything had gone so smoothly the entire day.

***

Shiro did that little ritual almost every night. The bags under his eyes only worsened, despite Black and Allura’s urges to go to sleep. Everytime he’d brush them off, or say he would. However, he almost fell asleep at breakfast one morning, and everyone was growing increasingly worried. It seemed the night terrors were growing more frequent. They had barely occurred when they first joined Voltron, but as time wore on…

Hime watched her paladin like a hawk. She was always with him when he wasn’t on a mission. Sometime opting to ride on his shoulder so she could show him that she was, in fact, closely watching him. Her big, yellow eyes bore into him. He didn’t understand why.

“Shiro, dude, you really should go to bed.” Even Lance was getting after him now. Not surprising though. Earlier, they had all been out flying, just doing a bit of training. Shiro was so tired he wasn’t paying attention to where or WHO he was flying towards, and nearly crashed into Blue. He was so embarrassed that he allowed them the rest of the day off. 

“Yeah. I will. Again, sorry for earlier,” he replied, placing a hand on Lance’s shoulder. The blue paladin looked oddly serious. 

“I mean it, Shiro. DON’T just go to the training room. We all know you do.” Who sounded like the dad now. “And apologize to Blue. She had some choice words- or uh, thoughts- for you.” Lance shot Shiro a small smile before walking off towards his room. Chavo close behind. “Or I’ll go get Allura and she’ll just toss your ass into your room,” the blue paladin added right before he turned to corner. Pointing two fingers at his eyes before flicking them at his leader.

With a chuckle, Shiro started for the training room. Exactly what everyone was telling him NOT to do. What? He wasn’t always right in his actions. However, he was stopped before he could enter. Hime placed herself directly between him and the threshold. When he tried to step around her, she moved so that he couldn’t. A low growl snuck out of her throat. Shiro’s eyes widened briefly, before he smiled softly.

“I’ll go to bed in a little bit, I promise.” She still didn’t move, and it didn’t help when he yawned. So, he tried to step over her, only for his leg to be swatted and for her to let out a loud hiss. The noise took him by surprise, making him stumble and fall backwards. Hime didn’t look the least bit sorry, and continued to stare at him. “Fine. I’ll work out in the room.”

He could not do that either, it seemed. Once they got back to the room, and he tried to get down and do a pushup, Hime was having none of it. She promptly whacked him in the face. Hard. 

Groaning, he sat up and rubbed the spot that she had attacked. Luckily, she hadn’t taken out her claws. She sat there, once again, looking at him. This time, however, her eyes flickered over to the bed every few seconds. Shiro looked at the clock, seeing it was almost midnight. Or rather, the time they had deemed “midnight”.

“Alright, alright. I’ll go to bed.” He honestly felt a little silly following the orders of such a small creature. Then again, Coran HAD said they would get bigger, and Hime’s paws were harder than they looked. When he settled onto the bed, her ears shot up, quite happy with herself. “Can’t promise I’ll sleep though.”

However, instead of curling up on his side or on his chest like she usually did, Hime took a different route. Carefully, she stepped past his shoulder and curled up around his head, with both of his ears tightly pressed against her soft fur. Then, despite Shiro not having even touched her, began to purr deeply. Small vibrations surrounded his cranium, soothing him.

The next thing Shiro knew, he was waking up the next morning with Allura looking down at him happily. Hime still purring around his head.

“Oh, Shiro! You slept the whole night,” the Princess declared, clapping excitedly. Through still groggy eyes, he saw everyone else peering through the door. All smiling widely, relief evident on their faces.

Weeks later, when Hime reached her full grown size, she’d cradle Shiro’s head on her stomach every night, and would always make sure he got to sleep on time. And he didn’t try to argue either, especially when her paws were big enough to cover half his face.

\---

Around the time Hime began dealing with Shiro, Wires was having trouble with his paladin as well. More often than not, Pidge would fall asleep at the early hours of the morning against a very hard surface after working on her computer. The kaia had since decided she really should sleep in a proper bed. However, she was more forceful than Shiro, sometimes even shoving him away when he attempted to pull her attention away from the device.

Just wait until he reached his full size.

Until then, he’d have to figure out something else. He was owned by the smartest paladin, so he knew it would be tricky. He feared she would damage her body if she continued to fall asleep against walls, though.

“Really, Pidge?” Keith found the smaller paladin one morning, slumped against a column. Dry drool was all over her left cheek, and her back popped a little too loudly. “You know you have a bed, right?” Wires grunted in agreement.

“You know you can wear something other than red and black,” was her sleepy retort as she stretched her arms over her head. Rolling his eyes, the red paladin wandered into the kitchen. A few minutes later, she heard the familiar sound of Keith and Lance’s morning debate. 

That’s how most mornings for Pidge went, despite everyone's comments that she should actually use her bed. To Wires, he couldn’t get bigger any slower. Pidge was small, as soon as he was full grown, he’d just drag her by the back of her jacket to their room. He purred at the thought as he once again saw his owner’s fingers fly across that familiar keyboard. His ears flattened against his head. For days he searched for a solution, and he found it in a strange place.

Lance.

One afternoon, the blue paladin hunted down his green teammate. He was trying to ask a rather stupid question, by the look Pidge was giving him. So, she decided to ignore him in favor of tweaking a small device she was building. Obviously not one to be ignored, he grabbed it from her small hands and held it up in the air. Chavo and Wires watched from the sidelines as Pidge ran after the much taller boy, screaming profanities. Not much time passed before Keith showed up, yelling at Lance to stop picking on her.

“She wouldn’t answer my question,” the blue paladin whined, when the other wrenched the device from his hands and handed it back to the smaller paladin. “You’ve been hanging out with Shiro too much.”

“I’m sure your question was stupid,” Keith replied, ignoring the last sentence, arms crossed. 

“It was,” Pidge confirmed, already diving back into the wiring. She came across something weird, deciding it was best to go and consult Hunk. “Gotta go.”

“Oh, Pidge, you got drool still on your cheek,” the red paladin called after her, smirking a little.

“Alright, I was refraining from saying anything since you helped me, but thanks, MOM.” Stifling a laugh, the green paladin sped-walked out of the room. Seeing Keith’s face burn red told Wires it was best to follow his owner. Sure enough, Lance had started making fun of the other as soon as he noticed and the kaia quickly heard the noise of air leaving his lungs as he was punched. Surely, Shiro or Allura would arrive soon. Yeah. Hopefully.

Later that night, when Pidge had reached the time that Wires began to grow worried for her mental health, he stood up from where he had been laying next to her. She looked at him for a brief moment, but soon seemed to decide it didn’t matter. In one of her hands was the device from earlier, rectangle in shape. A series of numbers was filling up its screen.

Waiting for her hand to slacken, Wires swooped down and grabbed the device, holding it victoriously in his mouth. It was a little big, but he still managed. For a second, Pidge seemed to short circuit. Before she narrowed her eyes at her companion, who was edging his way towards the door. Slowly, she pushed her computer off her lap and closed it. The air was hilariously tense as she rose to her feet and pointed a finger at Wires.

“Don’t you even thi-,” she didn’t get to finish as he sprinted out the door. Something close to a war cry echoed off the walls behind him as he ran faster towards their room. He could hear her running after him. Was she always that fast? Wires wasn’t sure.

Taking a sharp turn, his heart hammered in his chest as he neared the room. So close. SO CLOSE. And there, he was in. Not bothering to pause, he skidded under the desk and pressed himself against the wall so he couldn’t be seen when she first came in. The device was now on the floor under him, but he didn’t care about that.

Pidge was breathing heavily as she bounded into the room, having seen him entered. 

“Wires, I swear if you broke tha-,” once again, she was cut off as the small creature jumped up and tackled her. She lost her footing and fell onto the bed. Arms and legs flew up comically as Wires sat on her chest, forcing all his weight on her. “Get off! You’re heavy!” Purring loudly, the kaia lowered his head to her face. She squinted at him questionably. 

LICK! 

Groaning, Pidge dragged a hand down her face in an attempt to rid it of spit. Only for Wires to do it again. And again. And again until she was a giggling mess and managing to kick herself all the way up onto the bed. Sometime when she was doing that, she had also kicked off her shoes.

“Okay! Mercy! I’ll go to sleep,” she cried, and Wires finally stopped, mewling happily. It was then that Pidge realized just how tired she was, so she allowed him to roll over and curl up on her side as she covered herself up with the blanket. 

In the morning, Wires gave back her device with not a single scratch on it. And every night afterwards he would pluck whatever was in her hand. And she would chase him until they were in the room and he tackled her. (Until he got bigger, that it. Then she’d find herself being dragged by the back of her jacket. She didn’t really mind.)

And if anyone asked why she actually powered down her computer at a certain time… Well, she wouldn’t know what they were talking about.

***

Coran and Allura had said that the kaia were smart creatures.Then again, the paladins were used to earth animals, and quickly figured they simply had the brain capacity similar to dogs. Oh, how wrong they were.

How very, very wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wires and Hime are very motherly.
> 
> Do your pets have any cute quirks? Or any cute stories? Please tell me in the comments or message me on Tumblr: ( https://www.tumblr.com/blog/uncaringrose ) It gives me inspiration and ideas! And hey, who knows, maybe it will just straight up be included in the fic!
> 
> Drawing these kaias are a challenge for me, so feel free to try yourself. If you post them anywhere, I would love a link. <3


	3. Chavo and Spice and everything nice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chavo is a prankster, and Spice likes to sleep (right?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This week was kinda crazy! My classes are gonna be taking a lot of time from me (I didn't even get to draw AT ALL this week im crying). But thats not gonna stop me from writing, and I hope to have 1 chapter up each week, if not 2. Thank you for all the great comments!

Chavo really liked to prank people. Specifically, Lance. (Though, if you somehow get on his nerves he isn’t against pranking anyone else.)

Allow me to show you some evidence- Case 1:

Lance was very happy. Why? Well, let me tell you.

It wasn’t hard to figure out the blue paladin was very homesick. He missed his mom, his family, the ocean, even the annoying kid down the block that once made him drop his ice cream. Yeah. He missed it all. So, when they set down on the most recent planet and were allowed to go look in the nearby market, he was ecstatic. It reminded him of when his mother would send him down to the store with his father. But that wasn’t all. No. It was what he found in the market that he was so happy about.

Frozen, pre-cooked burritos. 

Okay. So, yeah. It wasn’t the most exciting thing. He would much prefer homemade burritos, but he was a busy dude. And, yeah, sure they weren’t marked as “burritos”, but they looked close enough. He practically lived off of them during his senior finals in high school.

So, he grabbed an armful, ignoring Hunk’s eyeroll. Shiro didn’t bother questioning him. Their leader had a bunch of bags as well of something that looked close enough to rice, and some random fruit he apparently deemed edible. 

Now they were back in the castle. It was an easy afternoon, and Lance decided it was time for a burrito. Chavo was walking next to him, dawned in a blue handkerchief. He now reached up to the blue paladin’s mid-thigh, and he had grown out of the scarf.

When he reached the kitchen, Keith was sitting on the counter (Ava was elsewhere, doing who knows what.) Lance didn’t really care and headed straight for the freezer. He took the heavenly food out of the wrapper and set it on a plate before deciding to read the instructions. He chuckled.

“What,” Keith asked, looking up from the knife he was cleaning.

“Am I reading this right?” Lance showed the other the wrapper, pointing to a line that read “Take wrap out of wrapper.” It was obvious the boy was laughing at the “wrap” part.

“Some people call them wraps, Lance,” the red paladin replied, adding a small shrug. He was unfazed by Lance’s jaw dropping.

“No, Keith! It’s a burrito! Not a WRAP!” While he talked, Lance plopped the burrito into the space microwave and set the appropriate time. Meanwhile, Chavo was sitting on the counter next to Keith, looking at something behind him. Was that a jar? Full of what? “I have NEVER heard anyone call it that!”

“Whatever, Lance,” Keith groaned. The black kaia had now pushed the jar out from behind him, and made his way closer to the microwave. Lance pulled the burrito out, setting it on the counter to cool for a few moments.

Honestly, how Chavo got the jar open is a mystery.

“No! This isn’t okay! I demand answers.” The blue paladin was almost crying now as he babbled on and on about the integrity of burritos. Keith rubbed his eyes after putting his knife up.

“We’re in space. I doubt you’ll be able to find someone to give you answers. Just accept some people call them wraps.” He watched as Lance grabbed his burrito and took a bite. He was expecting for him to finish (or just talk with his mouth full) and yell at him again. But instead, the paladin’s face grew bright, bright red and began to gag and swat at his mouth. “Lance?” Keith was on his feet, quickly getting to his friend’s side. “What’s wrong?” The poor boy couldn’t formulate a sentence, just desperate, open mouth bursts of air. His tongue hanging out of his mouth.

Then Keith noticed the jar and choked on his own laughter.

Next to a very proud Chavo, sat some dika peppers. Something Hunk had picked up at the market to experiment with. They were harmless, but were very, VERY spicy. The jar’s lid was off, and somehow one of them had been placed into Lance’s space burrito. How? Keith had no idea, and he made a mental note not to anger Chavo EVER.

“Lance. I think Chavo just pranked you.” A high pitched wheeze was all he got in response, and he remembered he should probably do something. “Oh shit, yeah. Sorry. Uh.” Keith looked around frantically, not knowing the first thing about soothing spiciness. Luckily, Shiro walked in. Their leader looked at the situation in front of him and stilled. “Shiro! What do you do about hot peppers?” Okay, that question was a mess, and Keith quickly accepted that. But the black paladin seemed to get the idea and rushed over to the fridge.

“Here, drink this.” A small glass was shoved towards Lance. It was the closest space equivalent to milk, and he chugged it down without protesting. Slamming the glass on the counter after he was done. Shiro patted his back, noticing the peppers on the table. “You shouldn’t put those in your wraps, Lance.”

Some say you can still hear Keith’s laughter echoing across the cosmos.

***  
Case 2:

Lance loved Chavo. He really did. But that didn’t mean the creature did not scare/annoy him sometimes. When he first got him, he thought he would be one of those cats who slept all the time, and just liked to cuddle.

He had to remind himself Chavo wasn’t an Earth cat.

And he did remind himself that as he walked down the hall to the dining area. His hair was all over the place. Being out in space for months without a pair of scissors allows for unwanted growth, and he was forced to live with his unruly locks. Why? His precious pet had decided to take off with his hair gel that very morning. Four legs were much faster than two. Chavo made sure Lance knew that.

“Hey, Lanc- HOLY CROW,” Hunk’s voice nearly tore his eardrums. When the yellow paladin saw the state of his best friend, two things happened. First, he had a small heart attack because it looked like a small dog was eating his friend’s face. Second, he began to laugh uncontrollably because it looked like a small dog was eating his friend’s face. 

“Huuuuunk,” Lance whined, trying to press his hair down with his hands. It didn’t help much. “Just tell me if you’ve seen Chavo. He took my hair gel.”

“Why would he do that,” his friend asked, smile still plastered on his face. The occasional giggle fell from his lips.

“Because he’s EVIL!”

“Aw, c’mon. I’m sure he just wanted to see your natural hair,” Pidge’s voice replied from behind Lance. He whirled around. Her reaction almost exactly mirrored Hunk’s. She just simply skipped to step two. “Oh yeah. Okay. I’m gonna go get Keith and Shiro. They’re gonna love this.”

“Don’t you dare!” It was already too late. She was running out the door, Wires following close behind. In a matter of minutes, everyone in the castle had filed in around him. “I hate you, Pidge.”

“Lance! Hate is a strong word,” Shiro quickly scolded, but his eyes were on his hair. 

“This is amazing,” Keith declares, and Lance swears he hears the click of someone taking a photo. “You never get to make fun of my hair again.”

“At least I don’t have a mullet,” the blue paladin bites back. But Keith doesn’t seem to care.

Lance nearly cried when Chavo showed up a few hours later. Before he could scold the kaia, however, said creature jumped up and proceeded to hug his head. Rubbing into his tangled mess he called hair. His hair gel sat next to them.

He’d use it later. Kaia fur was just too soft and warm. And Chavo’s blue eyes made it hard for him to stay mad at him.

***

Oh yeah. And one time Coran thought that Chavo needed a bath while Lance was on a mission.

Which leads us to case 3:

The paladins and Coran were in the training room. This was not an unusual occurrence. Allura was tending to other matters, and most of the kaias were off sleeping elsewhere, having grown bored of watching their owners train.

Chavo still remained. Clean black fur glistening, and his eyes trained on Coran. The energized man didn’t notice. Keith did, however, but knew better than to say anything. Ava would not protect him from the black kaia’s wrath, and told himself maybe Coran DID deserve whatever was coming his way.

“Please practice the technique we’ve been working on,” the orange-haired man spoke with a small click of his heels. He twirled his mustache, smiled, and walked to the side of the room. The paladins did as they were told, quickly growing concentrated on their task. Meanwhile, Chavo calmly walked over to Coran. On one of his tails, a good length of string was loosely wrapped around it. “Why hello, dear Chavo!” Bending down to run a hand over the creature’s head, he completely missed the string before returning his attention back to his pupils.

Innocently, the creature weaved his way around Coran’s legs. Barely small enough to fit comfortably, but it would do. The man didn’t move, but he smiled in amusement as Chavo made a figure eight around him.

How long the paladins trained is up for debate. It could have been ten minutes or an hour. Time was weird in space, but they were all sweating and tired afterwards. Nothing new. They had done a splendid job, as their teamwork was on all time high. Hunk and Lance fist bumped, Shiro had Pidge on his shoulder, and Keith was smiling widely. It had been a complete success.

“Great work, paladins!” Coran wiped a proud tear from his eye. “You go shower and I’ll make you an ancient Altean treat to sooth your sore muscles!” There was a collective groan, but was soon interrupted by gasps.

You see, Coran had tried to walk towards the door. There was one problem, though. 

He had fallen flat on his face.

Why? Well, Chavo was the answer. Somehow, he had managed to tie the string tightly around the gentleman’s legs. And it was Altean string, which was more like rope honestly. 

There was a brief moment where no one moved or spoke. From shock most likely. Coran, for once, didn’t seem to have anything to say. If anything, he seemed a little defeated. He was taken down by a space cat afterall. (Said space cat had mysteriously disappeared.)

“Coran-,” Shiro began, but a gloved hand raised itself from the floor, signaling for the man to grow quiet once more.

“Leave me,” the usually boisterous man mumbled, his voice muffled by the floor.

They didn’t need to be told twice. It sounded like Coran wished to contemplate his life.

And he did.

Oh, Coran.

\--

Spice was a bit of an oddball. She was obviously more calm than the other kaia, but that wasn’t what was odd. Oh no. 

It wasn’t unknown to the paladins that she liked to sleep. She slept more than all of them combined. Again, not really weird. No, what was odd was WHERE she liked to sleep. 

Of course, her all time favorite spot to sleep was draped across Hunk in their room. But, her owner had a lot of stuff to do and couldn’t always nap with her. This was fine. She cherished every night even more. 

But she had to find another place to sleep.

Why not just on Hunk’s bed, right? That was too simple, and usually too far away from the cuddly boy for her liking. Which, yes, is adorable. But, well, sometimes she didn’t choose the best place to catch some Zs.

Like the morning she nearly gave Shiro a heart attack.

He had just gotten done doing some training with Allura, something that was becoming a common occurrence. He was parched, so he made his way to the dimly lit kitchen (since no one had been in it for a few hours, the Castle had turned down the lights in effort to save power.) And he made his way over to the fridge.

It should be noted, at this point in time, that the kaia had been with them a little over a month and had grown quite a lot. They had the muscle mass similar to lions, and were a little bigger than a german shepherd. Coran had mentioned they were getting close to the age to start the REAL training, but hadn’t elaborated.

Point is, they were large.

And when Shiro opened the cooling device, he let out a squeak (he would later deny) when a large paw fell in front of his face. He blinked. Then slowly tilted his head upward to see Spice, sleeping soundly on top of the fridge. Apparently, when he had opened the door, it had caused her paw to fall.

His heart was still hammering in his chest when he called Hunk and told him.

Was Space Dad ever going to catch a break? (Tune in next week to find out!)

Now, that wasn’t even the weirdest spot they found her at.

Lance once walked into HIS bathroom to find her asleep in HIS tub. Why? He had no idea and she slept like a dead person. Hunk had to come and carry her out.

Pidge found her asleep on her and Hunk’s lab table. On top of quite a bit of metal. How she looked so comfy was lost to the green paladin.

Keith found her in the hangar. Somehow she managed to find a way down there and she was perched on the yellow lion’s head. He still swears he heard Yellow purring along with the kaia. 

In a control panel, on the rafters, the sink at one point, on top of the other kaias (Chavo was the main one. They had a similar relationship their owners had.), and even in closets. The last one helped them find out just how high pitched Coran’s scream was. That had been an interesting day. Anyways, anywhere was fair game to her. 

And, honestly, it didn’t really bother anyone. If anything, it was one of the highlights of their day. It gave them a sense of normal. It was something similar to what normal cats did on earth. Every time they found her somewhere new, one of them rushed to take a picture. Even Allura and Coran did.

They had created a small scrapbook of Spice’s sleeping spots. Each of them had lost count of the times it brightened their moods. She never seemed to sleep in the same place twice.

So, when Hunk went to once again pick her up (this time from the top of Allura’s wardrobe), and spotted her squinting one eye open to peek at everyone (they usually all gathered to see her newest sleeping spot) he didn’t say anything.

He made her a very special treat that very night, and maybe slept in a little later than usual so she could cuddle with him longer. Spice was odd, but he wouldn’t have her any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you guys like galra!Keith? Asking for a friend... >.>
> 
> You're still free to message me with cute stories (on here or tumblr), or if you'd just like to chat. This chapter feels a little rushed to me, but I'm too tired to add anything else. Haha. And Coran mentioned training?? Hmmm~
> 
> Also, the burrito scene is based off an actual convo with my sis. She's Lance, and I'm Keith. :,)
> 
> You guys have a great day!


	4. Ava is a little shit... but a good one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava loves her paladin, and her paladin has a new problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! This is actually part 1, of a 2 part thingy. Galra!keith. The next chapter isn't gonna be really angsty, and we'll soon get to the fun stuff again. :)
> 
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> (PS: I wrote, like, all of this on my phone so sorry if some parts seem rushed.)

Allow me to tell you a few things about Ava. She was quiet, first and foremost. The least vocal out of all the kaia, and had the footsteps of a ghost.

Hunk had lost count at how many times she had snuck up on him.

Secondly, she liked attention. Loved it. If Keith was busy, chances were she would go and hunt down someone who wasn’t. (Most of the time she’d find herself on the couch with Lance and Chavo, neither really having much to do. Keith was never too happy when he’d find her.) Petting or cuddles, it didn’t matter. 

Thirdly, she could be very jealous. If one kaia had something she didn’t have, she’d moan and groan until she was given it too. When Wires and Chavo both got collars (Lance had officially made one at this point out of some fabric he had found. It was blue and very stretchy. And Pidge had made Wires one out of metal and different gadgets she could upgrade. He even had a small hand that came out of the top of it to scratch his back.) Ava had quickly decided she wanted one.

And wouldn’t leave Keith alone until she got it. She even hid his knife at one point when he refused. (He thought they looked stupid.) 

She can now be seen with a large stretch of red cloth around her neck. Fashioned like a bandana. (Hunk and Shiro later made collars for Spice and Hime.)

And lastly, Ava loved to people watch.

It was a bit freaky at first (especially to Hunk) when she’d randomly wander into a room and just observe. Sometimes sitting there for hours. And she liked to watch everyone do particular things.

With Shiro, she liked to watch him plan. When he’d sit down with Allura, Hime at his feet, and stars and planets projecting around them, it didn’t take long for the grey kaia to walk in and take a seat. She’d watch the lines of his face as he talked, see when his eyes lit up as he figured out a new strategy. It was amazingly fascinating to her.

For Hunk, it was when he was fixing the lions or tinkering with new devices. Sometimes she’d watch him cook, but this was his element. He’d pluck wires and twist them with grace and force at the same time, fix dents with a snap of his arm, and fix any issues with their comms in moments. How she got down to the hangar was still a mystery, but all the kaias seem to have found a way. Allura and Coran hadn’t displayed that it was worrisome, so Hunk didn’t bother making a big deal out of it. (Though he did loudly express how nervous he got when those black eyes bore into him.)

Pidge typed blindingly fast. She was able to fill up a single doc in about a minute flat, and blocked out the world with amazing ease. Ava was fascinated at how she’d smirk, having given herself a mental pat on the back, and how quickly she’d revert back to a concentrated stare. 

Lance was more of an odd one. She didn't watch him as much, because what she liked to watch him for happened at random points in time. Though, sometimes she got lucky and walk into a room just as he delved into his subconscious. It appeared to be a type of meditation for him. What he thought about- or didn't think about- Ava didn't know. He would only do it when he knew he was completely alone (save for the kaias.) His eyes would shut- even though he was still very much awake- and his body would go limp. Times like those would last for a few minutes or up to an hour. It was odd and refreshing to see him so silent, so at peace. 

Sometimes she thought about leading Keith over. But didn't think that would be fair to Lance.

Speaking of her owner, he was her favorite person to watch. She loved to watch everything he did. Training? Of course. Cleaning his knife? So shiny. Talking? You bet. Sleeping? That was a big one.

The red paladin had to quickly get used to all the attention from his space cat. It was unnerving to him at first, if he was being honest. Hunk was right. The black eyes gave off a weird feeling. But that feeling quickly went away as soon as she started purring deep and loud, expressing how joyful she was. It made him happy to know he was able to do that. Anytime she purred and curled up next to (or on) him, he’d have this huge warmth fill his chest. He’d never had a pet before, so everything was new and exciting.

Ava was a big source of comfort. All the kaias were to their paladins. With them, they could ignore all the pressure on their shoulders, if for just a moment. 

But of course, things tend to get complicated and those moments nearly cease to exist.

***

They had managed to collect some quintessence. It was a frustrating and dangerous mission, but they had done it. Pidge had managed to extract four vials of it, which were sitting on the table in front of them. Allura and Coran were ecstatic, as they were finally able to run the tests they had been wanting to do. The sooner they found out why Zarkon needed it, the better.

They were all gathered, having an intense conversation. None of them had even given themselves time to go clean up. All of them had a few bruises and scratches. Keith, in particular had a tear in his suit on his calf where a small gash was. The bleeding had stopped sometime ago, so he wasn't too worried about it. Everything was fine.

Then, Hunk had reached across the table a little too fast and one of the vials rolled right onto the floor. Shattering at Keith’s feet. The bright, yellow liquid splashed upwards, right onto the red paladin’s gash.

“OH MY GOSH I’M SO SORRY, “ Hunk screeched, just as Keith hissed in pain and shuffled away from the table, rubbing his leg. Everyone except him rushed to salvage the liquid, and it was a good thing too.

Purple was now covering the red paladin’s leg, quickly making headway upwards. Somewhere, he didn't know the exact spot, the color had stopped. His face and neck still looked the same, but he was scared to see the rest of his limbs. It hadn’t been painful. It hadn't felt like anything. But the skin on his calf was now a deep, brilliant purple. One he had seen far too many times. The thought of telling the rest of the crew quickly grew into an intense fear. His heart was hammering in his chest so loudly he couldn't hear the others talking. All he saw was Allura patting Hunk on the back, most likely telling him it was fine. Lance and Pidge were squatted on the floor, a small machine in hand that was sucking the liquid up. And Coran and Shiro were grabbing the other vials off the table.

Any moment.

Any moment they would turn around, see Keith’s pale face and the absurd color on his calf.

Any moment.

Should he run? It was a thought that ran through his head. Surely that would quickly draw their attention though. And he wasn't that fast, not outside of Red. He’d never admit it, but Lance was definitely faster on foot, and so was Pidge. Both of them would catch and pin him before he got halfway to the door.

Their heads were turning. Oh God. This was it. He was a dead man. His blood felt cold. Ice cold. Was his mouth always this dry? 

A warm, furry body pressed into his body just as Shiro asked him something. Keith was so numb with fear all he did was nod and watch their leader exit the room, followed by the two Alteans. The other three paladins in the room shared a short conversation before seemingly deciding to leave as well. 

Hunk and Pidge left first to, Keith could only assume, their lab. Lance hung back a moment after glimpsing at his fellow paladin, raising a thin eyebrow at him. It was the silent version of “are you okay?” 

Keith shakingly waved his hand, striving to look nonchalant. The blue paladin didn't seem convinced, but decided to let it go, briskly walking out the door.

How long had he been holding his breath? All he knew was that his lungs hurt and his hands were clammy. He wanted to throw himself out of the nearest airlock.

Looking down, Keith found Ava staring up at him. A look of worry creased into her long snout, ears flat against her skull. A nervous giggle erupted out of him quietly before he swooped down and picked up the large creature. If he hadn't done all that training, he wouldn’t have been able to. She weighed nearly sixty pounds by now.

But he didn't care in that moment. He just held her close because his world was crashing down around him. The purple hadn't left, and he doubted it would.

Later, in the safety of his room, after he peeled off his suit, he held her again. Great big, purple splotches were forming all over his body. One on his lower back, on his shoulder, his chest. And his entire right leg. Two grey tails rested on top of it as the kaia purred loudly into his ear, trying in vain to soothe him.

He didn't cry. Deep down, he knew he should have. But he felt too empty.

***

The training bot lashed out, nearly getting Keith in the side. Parry. Slash. Parry. Duck. Slide. The words ran through his head, but they were becoming fuzzy. His movements were beginning to falter. A half step allowed the bot to shove him, throwing him into the wall. Be got back up, diving forward once more.

A few days had passed since the purple blotches appeared on his skin. They grew slowly, and he was counting down the tics until the color covered him. He wore his jacket all the time, in an effort to cover up as much skin as possible. Even during training wheb he wasn't in his suit.

Ava was worried. She was watching him train, seeing him so unfocused. The blade of the bot sometimes getting a little too close to her paladin for her liking. She was breathing heavily, matching the breathes he was taking. 

He ducked when he should have jumped, and he was skidding across the floor. He didn't get up this time. His body felt to heavy, and his vision was starting to blur.

A new feeling kicked into the the grey kaia. Something cold and calculating and exciting. As soon at the bot began to advance again, a fire erupted inside of her. Her paws flew across the metal floor until she was facing the gladiator. The next moment, the bot was down, metal clenched between white teeth and grey fur. 

Time stopped. The silence in the room (ignoring the heavy breathing) was deafening. Neither moved.

Then the door flew open.

“WHATS GOING ON IN HERE,” Allura asked, eyes squinted and dressed in her bed robes. Coran and Shiro were behind her, both looking very worried. The Princess just looked angry. Surely she didn't enjoy being awoken, just as she eased into sleep mind you, by the castle alerting her to a disturbance. 

Ava spat out the wires tangled in her mouth just as Lance walked in as well. He looked tired, and had most likely been on the way to his room. Chavo peeked into the room first, his ears flying up when he saw the other kaia standing over the fallen gladiator. Allura noticed as well, her eyes widening significantly.

“Oh,” she muttered. The castle had alerted that one of the paladins had fallen in the training room with a still active bot. Now, she saw she had nothing to worry about. “I see. I suppose this signifies we can begin training.”

“Training?” Shiro stepped towards Keith, but the question was directed at the princess. The red paladin flinched away, standing up on his own and avoiding eye contact. The other was surprised, but ultimately let it go. A new matter had arose.

“Yes! The kaia have gotten to the wonderful age that they start training for battle!” Coran waved his arms excitedly. The three paladins in the room looked confused. “Right! I suppose I should explain. You see, as you may remember, the kaia are amazing companions off AND on the battlefield. They have a wonderful knack for situations. Coupled with their speed, strength, and heightened senses they are quite the force to reckon with.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Lance cut in. His lips were turned down in a deep frown. “We’re going to take them to fight? To fight the GALRA?”

“Yes,” Allura answered quickly, face solemn. “I do apologize if you were confused on the matters. But as paladins of Voltron I sure hope you didn't expect me to give you a… Simple animal. They are very intelligent beings, Lance. I'm positive they'll be more than happy to accompany you on missions.”

“How exactly do we train them?” Shiro, as always, thought logically. It was not hard to notice how protective and instinctual the kaia were. He trusted the princess in her judgement. And he trusted Hime to have his back.

“It's quite easy, really. The kaia are quick learners. They’ll simply just become involved in your paladin training.” Allura had no traces of anger on her face anymore. If anything, she was radiating excitement. 

***

“I doubt Spice will do anything, but yeah, okay.” Hunk and Pidge took the news well. The green paladin wasn't surprised at all, having been the only one that remembered what Coran had said. 

So that's what lead them to the training room. All the paladins were in their armor. Coran had greeted them in the morning with suits very similar to theirs but in the shape that suited the kaias. The helmets had the same functions as the paladins’, and had large, skinny arches for their ears to sit comfortably in. With openings to allow them to hear. Honestly, it was kinda cool to the pilots. It looked like they each had their own mascot.

They were all kind of amazed at how serious each of them looked, though. Even Spice was standing at attention. The kaias actually looked quite excited.

Shiro had tried to ask Keith what was wrong when they all had gathered. The red paladin’s mind seemed to be elsewhere. Primarily at the sprouting patches on his body that were starting to grow short, coarse fur. He almost told the older man, but lost his nerve when he glanced at the other’s arm. Would he feel betrayed? Angry? Disappointed? 

Would he lash out at the first sight of purple? What would happen to Red? Surely he’d be kicked off the team. Galra were the enemy. HE was the enemy. 

“Yo, Keith.” Lance snapped his fingers, bringing the other paladin out of his thoughts. “Focus.”

Would Lance hate him again? They had been getting along so well. The blue paladin still annoyed him once and awhile, sure, but it wasn't insults 24/7 anymore. They worked better as a team now. Actually, they complemented each other nicely during fights. Would that be lost too?

The exercise began. Five bots fell from the ceiling. It was a simple task. The kaia and the paladins were to work together and defeat them. It was simple.

Pidge and Wires finished theirs off first. The small paladin slid under the bot, her bayard wrapping around its legs while the calico kaia jumped at its chest while it was distracted. Claws dragging effortlessly through the metal. 

Next was surprisingly Hunk and Spice. The large man was taken back by how quick his companion was when a sword nearly sliced off his nose, his reaction time a bit slow. Spice’s protective side unleashed in quick, decisive movements that had the bot staggering back so Hunk could shoot it down.

Shiro and Hime were next. The white kaia waited for her owner to crouch down as he powered up his arm before launching herself off his back and ramming into the metal warrior. Quickly followed by Shiro, who punched right into its chest. 

Lance shot from a distance while Chavo snuck around. Their bot soon hit the floor as well.

Ava was having a hard time. The bot was a lot to handle along with worrying over her paladin. Keith’s movements were sloppy, random, and he wasn't paying much mind to her. She wanted to scream at him, get him to the real world. However, she noticed that a purple splotch had begun to develop on his jawline. 

She was distracted. And suddenly she was kicked to the side. Not particularly hard, but still forceful. She heard Keith’s bayard drop, the bot powering down, and suddenly Allura was shouting at him.

“KEITH, YOU NEED TO FOCUS. YOUR MOVING LIKE A DRUNKEN LADRA. AVA WAS THE ONLY ONE DOING ANYTHING.” Lance and Pidge giggled. 

Then they stopped.

Keith had taken off his helmet in frustration. Unknowingly revealing the growing mark. He looked confused for a brief moment, seeing the others widened eyes, before seeing his reflection in the top of his helmet. 

He didn't have time to run out before Coran and Shiro were dragging him to the med bay. The others following behind, all looking equally worried. And if you looked close enough… Fearful.

The test result was no surprise. Actually, Keith was amazed they had let him out of the cryo pod. Pidge was nowhere to be seen when he awoke, and Shiro couldn't look him in the eye. Hunk looked terrified, and ran off when Keith turned his direction. Lance just, kind of, stared blankly. No emotion could be read on his face.

What was he thinking?

Coran and Allura had quickly excused themselves. Dragging Shiro along with them. Ava rubbed against Keith’s leg, hoping he’d look down at her so she could show him he wasn't alone. But his eyes stayed on the opposite wall.

Lance didn't say anything. But his eyebrows scrunched together. And when his mouth opened for him to say something, the red paladin found himself running. Out of the room. Down the hall. Into the hangar. 

He slept in Red that night. Ava sat outside of the giant lion, knowing her owner needed time to think.

But war didn't allow for much time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote some facts and posted it here on my tumblr: http://uncaringrose.tumblr.com/post/149813929366/some-info-on-the-kaias-for-my-space-cats-fic
> 
> I have a three day weekend, so I'm hoping to get another chapter up then! You guys stay awesome! :>


	5. Accept yourself and you'll be okay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance understands when Keith doesn't. A heart to heart is in order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big hint of growing Klance in this chapter!!! And some serious!Lance. 
> 
> I have to rush a lot of my writing because I'm busy with school work, but I hope you guys enjoy!

Two days.

It had been two days.

And Lance was more than a little peeved.

Keith only left Red to go to the bathroom, and Ava would occasionally leave his side to grab him something from the kitchen. Nobody talked about it. The air was always tense and uncomfortable. Sometimes the grey kaia would hang back and look at all of them before Lance would give her a sad smile.

He understood. Well, he WOULD, if they didn’t act like such children about it. Even Shiro didn’t mutter a word about it. It was frustrating, and a little unnecessary. So, the blue paladin decided he’d had enough. Which led him to their large table they dined on as the others picked at their food. 

“His name is Keith Kogane,” he said, looking at each one of them. The paladins froze, and so did the Alteans. “He went to the Garrison, has a horrible haircut, and trains too much.” All eyes were on Lance. “He pilots the red lion. A key part of Voltron. The Universe’s only hope.” His eyes leveled with Shiro’s. None of them had seen Lance so… serious. “He is a defender of the universe. THE UNIVERSE. Just like the rest of us.”

“I don-,” Shiro wasn’t allowed to finish that sentence. 

“No. We have been up here for almost a year, Shiro. A YEAR. But, apparently, you guys need to be reminded of things you already know. Like the fact we’re all friends, that we’re each other’s only family up here.” The guilt was setting in. Thickly and nauseatingly. Pidge and Hunk looked ready to throw up. “And guess what? Part of our family has been in his lion the past two days because you guys forgot those little details.” They began to crack. Shiro slipped his head in his hands. Allura and Coran grew red in embarrassment. “Look. I understand that you’re all shocked. So am I. And yeah, I haven’t been nearly hurt as much by the galra as you guys have. My family hasn’t been taken, humanity hasn’t been wiped out, I haven’t really talked first hand to an alien race whose whole life has been devastated by them, and I haven’t been held captive by them for a year. But I have lived with Keith for a year, and he isn’t like them. Sure, he has a temper, but he’s not a bad person. There is a huge difference between him and them.”

Just like that, the weight of their mistake came crashing down. They had all been so FOCUSED on the fact he was part galra, that they forgot he was also human. A human that was also their friend and family. And while they were still uncomfortable with the new development, they all knew they were in the wrong. 

“We fucked up,” Pidge whispered, not even touching her food goo. Shiro didn’t even bother to apprehend her for her language. Allura was tearing up at this point. Hunk was just straight up bawling. 

Lance and Chavo were quickly out the door, heading for the red lion’s hangar. 

***

“Keith. Open up, man,” Lance called out, knocking against Red’s leg. The sound echoed off the pristine white walls. There was no answer. “I just wanna talk.” Silence. “Red. PLEASE. He can’t stay in there forever and I- we miss him.” Despite how still the giant mech was, Lance could tell she was thinking. Silently judging his intent. Then her eyes glowed briefly before her mouth fell open and she bent down to let him enter. “Thanks!” He ran in with Chavo, her jaws closing behind them.

“Go away.” What a wonderful greeting. Ava trotted over and nuzzled his hand, looking up at him with worried eyes. The blue paladin saw Keith curled up in the corner. Yellow eyes flashed over to him for a brief moment before looking away. 

“It’s not healthy to sit in here forever,” Lance replied, awkwardly shuffling from foot to foot. To be honest, he didn’t have much of a plan. He just wanted Keith with all of them again. After a moment, he opted to sit in the pilot’s chair. The red paladin probably didn’t want him too close.

“Why are you here?” The question seeped into the silence. Chavo and Ava sat next to each other, watching their owners intently.

“To tell you to come back.” An airy, hollow chuckle was all he got in response. “We don’t hate you. So what if you’re part galra?” Okay. Maybe using the g-word was not the best thing to do, because now those yellow eyes were staring right at him. It was hard to see the red paladin properly, since he was sitting in a dark corner. But Lance could see that all of skin was now a deep violet color, and could vaguely see the outline of pointed ears.

“Lance. I'm the ENEMY. Might as well just call me a monster!” The smaller boy hugged his legs closer to himself. But the other saw the fear and sadness in his eyes, and could hear it in his voice.

“I mean, I’m pretty sure your name is Keith.” The words fell out of his mouth with no warning. And they kept coming too. “You know, I sometimes hear Pidge complain about being too short.” Keith said nothing, but he kept his eyes on Lance. “Hunk’s told me he wants to lose weight more times than I can count.”

“What are you trying to s-.” Lance held up a hand to silence him.

“Theres times I walk into a room and find Shiro looking at his arm. I nearly pissed my pants when I saw how angry he looked the first time I did.” Lance wasn’t looking at him anymore, instead he decided the floor of Red looked very interesting. “If Pidge wasn’t small, who would we send to sneak into vents? To spy on the galra when we don’t want to be spotted?” Keith blinked, still not understanding. “Hunk gives the best, most comforting hugs in the world, and is the greatest human pillow in all of history. And we wouldn’t have been able to get where we are now if Shiro didn’t have his arm.”

“So? What does that have to do with me?” Despite the hostility of his words, Keith was no longer in a tight ball. His legs were stretched out, and his arms had fallen to his side.

“We all have something we don’t like about ourselves, Keith.” Blue eyes met yellow once more. “But we need to learn to deal and live with those things. We need to use them in some way to make us better. To make us stronger. Because if we don’t, then we won’t be able to enjoy the things we do LIKE about ourselves. We won’t be able to keep fighting to the best of our ability because we’ve already put something on our shoulders to carry. So, you can sit here, call yourself a monster and the enemy. And you can ignore all the good things about yourself,” Lance stood up and made his way closer to Keith. “Or, you can come to terms with this new part of you, and remember that you’re a paladin of Voltron. Something that you earned because you’re a hard worker, an intelligent and KIND person, and everything you’ve been doing since we’ve gotten to space was to bring freedom to everyone. It’s your choice.”

Some time during Lance’s words, Keith’s body had gone completely lax. The other’s blue eyes looked like lights in the dark compartment. 

Lance stretched out his hand. A second passed before Keith took it, and slowly rose to his feet. He didn’t let go of the hand in his, and the blue paladin didn’t seem to mind. If anything, his smile grew.

“I don’t like how easily I get homesick,” he whispered when Keith looked warily at the door. Chavo and Ava were now at their side. The grey kaia pressed against her paladin’s leg encouragingly. 

“But who else would be able to remind us of what we’re fighting for,” Keith replied, stepping out of the cockpit. 

***

“This is silly,” the red paladin grumbled. Chavo was facing him, his blue eyes glowing in anticipation. His tails twirling together. Lance was sitting on the other side of the couch, Ava draped over him from behind as they watched her owner stare down the black kaia.

“Come on, humor him. He’s bored.” And the way Keith’s galra ears moved was kind of cute, but the red paladin would murder him if Lance said that.

A week had gone by since the whole incident. Everyone was steadily getting used to it. Pidge had even made cat jokes earlier. Which was only fueled by when Hunk had offered Keith the space equivalent of tuna. Even Shiro had laughed.

It was kind of cool, because they were learning new things about Keith too. Like, if he felt threatened (he hadn’t seen Lance approach him from behind) he’d sprout claws, and sometimes fangs. He was able to control his transformation now, too. It was nice to see him with indigo eyes instead of bright yellow (Coran had shrieked when he ran into the red paladin in the middle of the night, though everyone thought it had been Allura. They weren’t going to let him live that down.) His hearing and smell had become very sensitive as well. Pidge nearly cried when he had asked her why she was singing the pokemon theme song while she was typing, since she had barely been even muttering it. And Hunk DID cry when Keith managed to tell him exactly what was in the dish he had made the night before. 

Oh, right. And he could move his ears like a cat.

This made the kaias very happy (and Lance too, but he didn’t say anything.)

Chavo, especially, enjoyed this new feature. 

Why? Well, now he can do what Lance has deemed the “Ear movement challenge” (he wasn’t the best at naming things) with Keith. The black kaia typically did it with the other kaias, which was basically them trying to copy the way he moved his ears as fast they could. 

Keith protested at first. Actually, he still did. However, he found Chavo was very persistent. And Ava even tried to get him to do it. So, he finally caved. 

“Fine,” the red paladin groaned, bringing his purple ears to an upright position, exactly like Chavo’s. Then the kaia moved his flat against his head. Keith did the same. One up, one down. Twitch twice. Halfway flat before turning them up once more. 

The red paladin didn’t like the fact he was actually having fun. And that he was actually getting really competitive. 

Allura and Coran were passing by the room when they saw the group of four. They joined, finding the game mesmerizing. Hunk and Pidge filed in next, the green paladin pulling out her camera to record. Shiro was the last one to enter, taking a seat next to the princess. 

Chavo and Keith’s ears were blurring. Everyone silently rooted for one of them. Even the other kaias were into it. Spice and Wires started a game of their own, and so did Hime and Ava. Lance was laughing so hard as the absurd scene he began to cry. 

Soon, Keith was crowned victorious. An exhausted Chavo slumped against the cushions of the couch, and the red paladin through a fist into the air. Realizing what he was celebrating, his hand shot down to his side and tried to return his face back to a neutral stare.

But he was smiling too big.

The black kaia glared at him, a silent declaration there would be a rematch.

Keith found he didn’t mind.

***

“Where did you find cinnamon?”

“Okay, that’s just freaky,” Hunk replied, looking at the bowl in front of the red paladin. 

“But seriously, where did you find it?”

“I’ll never tell.”

“Rude.” A moment of silence. “Could use some salt.”

“Okay. I’ll go find Pidge.”

“Sounds like we have a sassy Hunk today,” Lance chirped as he strode into the dining room. Keith and Hunk were sitting opposite of each other. A strange, but lovely smelling dish sat in the middle of them. The red paladin held a spoon in his right hand. He was in his galra form again. It was nice to see him okay with it. “How mad do you think Pidge would be if I made her a salt shaker outfit? On a scale from one to ten?”

“I’d say a solid six, just because she’d secretly like it,” Hunk answered. Keith nodded in agreement.

Spice was curled around the yellow paladin’s feet. Chavo and Ava were elsewhere. They had all gotten done training a few hours ago, so they were allowed some downtime. Suddenly, Hunk stood up and stretched.

“I just remembered Pidge needed help fixing something on Green. Should probably go before she skins me alive,” he announced, patting Lance on the back as he exited the door. “Feel free to finish whatever's left.” The blue paladin didn’t need to be told twice before he jumped in the seat his bigger friend had previously been in.

Keith and Lance ate in silence for a while. A comfortable silence, which used to be unusual for them. It was strange, how everything had changed.

“Hey, Lance,” the red paladin said, looking up at the other. Lance grunted. “Thanks, by the way.” He knew he didn’t need to explain. It didn’t take but a second for the blue paladin to answer.

“No problem.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to decide on what the next chapter will be about. Maybe the kaias first mission with their paladins? Hmmm.... We'll see.


	6. Lives are saved, and space cats play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quite a bit of cute Shallura! And first mission with the kaias~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are having an awesome day!

“I’m just saying, we should have code names.”

“Lance, drop it.”

“No.”

“Please.”

“Sorry, Space Dad.”

“Did you just call me Space Dad?”

“Maybe. I want a lawyer.”

“We’re in outer space, Lance. There are no lawyers,” Pidge cut in to Lance and Shiro’s conversation. The green lion snuck under the galra warship silently, unlike the other paladins. Wires sat next to his owner’s cockpit, thinking he would have much preferred if they had kept the comms off his helmet.

“Le que sea, sal~,” Lance sing songed, earning a light chuckle from Hunk. The other four lions hid behind a large cargo ship that was being boarded by the galra. 

“Once I find out what you said, I’m coming for you,” Pidge replied as she carved a large hole in the underside of the ship. Big enough for the rest of the lions, just in case they needed to also find their way in. “Alright, I’m in. Keith, Lance, I’m ready for back up.”

“Roger that,” Keith broke in, aiming Red towards the ship. Lance followed suit, and soon all six of them had boarded. 

“Remember, we won’t make a distraction unless need be,” Shiro called out to them on the comms. Hunk grunted in agreement.

“Got it.” Pidge ran ahead, already hacking into the security system. The doors leading upwards were locked tight. “If I can just- ah. There we go.” After a few quick clicks the doors eased open. Chavo and Ava stepped out first, eyes squinted and noses raised to the air. 

“Okay. A ship this size should have at least some data on the quintessence,” Lance whispered, looking over Pidge’s shoulder as she pulled up a map. It was hard to test the quintessence when they didn’t know what they were looking for. They knew the galra were connected to it in some way, but that didn’t quite cut it.

“It looks like there’s a lab a few floors up,” Pidge commented, her head tilting to the ceiling. “A path in the vents lead directly up to it. Wires and I can sneak up through there while you guys head to the other one over here.” She pointed to a small, blinking yellow dot on the map, that was on the floor they were on. 

“Right. Sounds like a plan,” Keith agreed, taking a small usb from the green paladin.

“Put that into their computer once you get there and it will immediately download everything on it. Once you do that, meet me back down here.”

“Then we can blow this ungodly ship to shreds,” Lance added, smirking. Pidge and Keith nodded, and they broke apart. 

Pidge and Wires quickly opened a vent compartment. The calico kaia extended his set of six robotic arms that his paladin had built into his suit that were able to scale walls easily. After doing so, the green paladin wrapped her arms around his midsection as he scampered upwards. Lance shivered at the sight.

“I’m sorry, but that looks a little creepy,” he said as he and Keith jogged along with their kaias down a long hallway. The red paladin nodded in agreement. Chavo and Ava paused, prompting the two paladins to do the same. Voices echoed off the walls, coming from the direction they needed to go in. 

“I always get lost down here. It’s like a maze,” a soft voice, but still definitely male said. You could hear the pout.

“Well, we aren’t known for our ability to make logical decisions when it comes to designing our ships, Milra.” The second voice was a lot deeper, and obviously annoyed. 

“Someone’s angry today. Oh right, they’re serving that gross mush in the cafeteria today that upsets your stomach.” Milra sounded like an old school teacher of Lance’s. In a way. Voice almost feminine but not quite ther- right. Focus. “Sorry, Rogar.”

“Just shut up so we can go get those lab reports. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Do you think their mush is like our green goo,” Lance asked Keith in a hushed voice. The other just whacked the back of his head to silence him. Quietly, the four of them trailed after the two voices. The two galra didn’t appear to see them, too into their conversation about stupid things about the ship. Lance and Keith couldn’t agree more.

“Seriously, who posts only one guard outside of a control room,” Rogar barked, stopping to type in a code on the keypad outside the lab room door. Chavo and Ava crouched down, and the paladins decided to let them do their thing. As soon as the door slid open, the two galra were on the floor. Rogar didn’t even have a chance to shout before his head was thrown against cold metal by the black kaia. And poor Milra seemed to pass out from shock.

“You know, I feel kinda bad for them,” Lance said as they stepped into the lab. Keith rushed over to the computer in the corner. Vials of quintessence (which the blue paladin grabbed a few of and slipped into Chavo’s bag he had placed on him beforehand) and equipment were strewn around the room. “Didn’t seem like they were all bad. They were having a nice conversation.”

“And I’m sure Stalin had nice conversations too,” Keith replied, not looking up from the computer screen.

“Fair enough, fair enough.” A few minutes later, the usb was done downloading. 

And then the alarms were blaring.

“Shit!” The red paladin ripped the usb out of the port and grabbed Lance’s arm, wrenching them both out of the room. Milra and Rogar were still out cold, but the sound of heavy footsteps rung in their ears. “Pidge, I think we set an alarm off somehow. We’re gonna head to our lions, are you gonna be okay?”

“I think I set an alarm off too. Me and Wires are in the vents again, but I think they’re gonna find us.” Pidge sounded tired, but not terrified. They had been doing stuff like this for too long for her to lose her cool. “We’re crawling over to you guys now. Can you open the vent panel opposite of the lab door?” The footsteps were getting to closer.

“Yeah,” Keith assured, whipping out his bayard. “Lance, cover me!” Drones rounded the corner, and Lance was quick to start shooting, taking down three quickly.

“With pleasure, mullet head.”

The blue paladin gulped as ten enemies rounded on him, some of them having shields that propelled his hits. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chavo slinking off to the side and slipping between their legs. Before they could realize what was happening, two fell to the ground, wires and bolts spilling out. Ava followed the other kaia’s example. Four were left when Keith finally managed to pull the vent’s panel. A high pitched yelp rang through the air and Chavo was kicked into Lance’s legs, causing the paladin to go crashing down.

Ava attempted to trip the drones, but they managed to avoid her and sent a bullets flying her way. The assault was blocked as Keith spun in front of her. His bayard raised as he pushed one the enemies with his shield to distract it from shooting again. However, the other three attacked from behind him, managing to hit him on the shoulder before Ava ripped one of their heads off.

“HEADS UP,” Pidge shouted as Wires came barreling out of the vent with the green paladin still on his back. Using the robotic arms, he scurried up the wall, much like a spider, before dropping down on the final two drones behind Keith, helping the grey kaia rip them to shreds. 

“Are you guys alright,” Shiro asked, the sounds of shooting in the background. His and Hunk’s grunting followed it.

“Yeah. We’re heading back to our lions with the data now,” Pidge answered, a bit breathless. None of them stopped to rest, though. The six of them sprinting back the way they came before more drones could make their way to them.

“See you in just a bit,” Keith added.

“That would be great,” Hunk said, the worry in his voice just as evident from the first day.

***

It was oddly soothing to have the kaias in the cockpits with them. They anchored the paladins, making them focus more. And the lions seemed to appreciate being them too. 

The battle with the warship was probably the smoothest battle they’d had that didn’t require Voltron. They emerged from their hangars smiling after watching the ship go ‘Ka-boom!’. The kaias were full of energy from their first mission, purring loudly to match their owners’ laughs. Allura and Coran were waiting in the control room, bright smiles plastered on their faces.

“Well done, paladins!” The princess was practically glowing. Hime ran up to her and jumped up to nuzzle her hair. She accepted said nuzzle happily, making the black paladin blush. “And I’ve just gotten word that the warship had been heading to planet Zeref. I contacted them to let them know the ship had been destroyed, and they were no longer to feel threatened. What’s more, they invited us to celebrate and thank us!”

“DOES THIS MEAN ACTUAL FOOD,” Hunk shrieked, already drooling a little as Allura nodded.

“We should arrive there in a few hours. You paladins should clean up and get ready,” Coran added, twirling his mustache. 

“Aye, aye, cap’n,” Lance responded with a lazy salute. Him and Chavo were the first ones out the door. The rest of the paladins followed suit soon after. Changing into more appropriate attire for the occasion.

Later, they all gathered in the black lion and touched down on planet Zeref. The natives greeted them with open arms. Several open arms. Six to be exact. Pale green skin glowed in the bright sun of their planet, and their blank white eyes oddly held a lot of expression. The kaias wasted no time taking off in a sprint in the mint colored grass, wrestling and chasing each other. Spice splayed out and rolled against the dirt, taking in deep breathes.

The people of planet Zeref led them to something similar to a large camping ground filled with long tables adorned with amazing decorations of lions running and jumping into the sunset. Performers stood at the front, dancing and juggling to entertain the growing crowd. They didn’t seem to have any discernable gender, but that didn’t hinder the fact they could party. Their music had no lyrics, but the beat seemed to tell a story anyway.

“This is nice,” Shiro commented as he stood next to Allura. The princess smiled at a passing native. “What star system are we in?”

“Lirf nine. One of my favorites. They have some of the best constellations, in my opinion,” she answered, swaying a little to the music. Shiro turned down another offer to dance with one of the aliens. 

“Why do you say that?” In the distance, Pidge was dancing awkwardly with one of the natives. Only for Wires to sneak his way in between them and stand on his hind legs, resting his front paws on her shoulders. Effectively making her switch dance partners. The black paladin chuckled at the sight.

“Because they change every night.” Suddenly, Allura was tugging his arm, bringing him to the dance floor. She didn’t allow him time to ask for a reason, as her arms were already wrapped around his neck, and his hands had found their own way to her hips. The music had grown softer, with long, drawn out notes that sounded like they were being played by godly beings. “My father would sometimes bring me to this star system and we’d name new ones.” They continued to shuffle lazily to the music. 

“Sounds like fun.” Shiro was sure his face was bright red, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. The princess’s eyes were practically GLOWING, and his heart was beating painfully hard. But in a good way.

“They have been the center of many poems, however.” For a brief moment, her eyes dimmed. “It is a bit sad, how the constellations simply disappear.”

“It’s always sad when something beautiful is lost,” he replied quietly, spinning her gently. She giggled airily.

“Yeah. It is.”

“But that’s what makes them so amazing. When something can make you feel so much emotion after it’s gone, that’s how you know how much it meant to you. Even if you only saw them for the briefest of moments. They changed you in some way.” The music still droned on, but Allura and Shiro had stopped dancing. A few feet away, Hime was watching. Her tails settled calmly on the ground and ears lazily raised. The sun was going down, and the celebrations were being tinted in shadows. Hunk and Spice were slumped against one of the tables, half awake but quite obviously happy. Chavo and Ava were curled up next to each other as their paladins’ once again bickered.

“Didn’t take you for such a poetic person, Shiro,” Allura joked, but her smile was earnest. The natives began cleaning up, but allowed the paladins and alteans to stay for however long they liked. “The stars will be coming out soon.” Her hand slipped into his. He squeezed it lightly. 

“Yeah?”

“Let's name some together.”

“I’d like that.”

Coran found the two a few hours later, lying in the middle of a field. Hime was pressed in between them, nearly blending in with the princess’s hair. They were laughing quietly and pointing to random collections of stars.

All was calm. And all was beautiful.

***

“Wires, please,” Pidge groaned, trying to shove the large animal off her computer. He didn’t move even a whisker. “Why are you like this?”

“He just wants some attention, I’m sure,” Hunk offered, tinkering with a collar he was designing for Spice. Said kaia was watching his hands closely, intrigued. 

“No. I know why he’s doing this. He’s just a little shit who likes to pout.”

“Why is he pouting?”

“I won’t let him groom my hair,” Pidge answered with a blank expression, still prodding at the calico. 

“He grooms your hair?”

“He likes to. And it’s annoying! I don’t want to walk around with space cat spit in my hair. That’s just gross.” The green paladin leaned against her column (she’d fallen asleep there enough times for it to be called hers.) Her arms were crossed defensively. 

“Oh, come on. I think it's sweet. He also did great on the mission, so at least let him a little.” Hunk shrunk in his seat when she sent him a glare.

“You’re on HIS side?!”

“Just sayin’,” the yellow paladin mumbled, finishing the collar and wrapping it around his kaia’s neck. It lit up in light blues and greens. Experimentally, he held up a spoon to her left side, and that side of the collar lit up in a bright yellow. “Cool, finally got it calibrated right.”

“What does it do,” Pidge asked, momentarily forgetting Wires and getting up to join her bigger friend. She eyed the colorful collar (that Spice was very happy to have, mind you.) 

“Well, whenever we go down to scout planets, it’ll lead us to precious metals. I’d like some to experiment with.” Hunk smirked at his friend’s impressed look. “Besides, I think she was a little sad WIres got a cool gadget when she didn’t.” Pidge nodded in agreement. 

Suddenly, the door of the room opened and a confused Shiro poked his head in.

“Have you guys seen Hime,” he asked, one eyebrow raised. “I haven’t seen her all day.” Both of them shook their heads, and their leader huffed in slight frustration. “Keith and Lance haven’t seen her either.” With that, he was gone.

“Odd,” Hunk muttered, even though Shiro was no where near hearing range anymore. 

Later, they found out she had been with Allura and Chavo when Shiro showed back up later with a defeated look and the altean equivalent of glitter covering his hair and shoulders. The princess giggled into her hand behind him while he asked if they had a contraption to suck all the horrible space sprinkles off of him.

“I’ll name that one ‘Hime’,” Allura whispered so only he could hear, grazing a finger across his cheek. “And that one ‘Keith’, because it has a center as red as the red lion.” A princess should not look that smug, Shiro decided when his face once again betrayed him. 

As Hunk and Pidge rifled through different boxes, the black paladin smirked back as he got an idea. Raising a hand, he pressed onto his shoulder and slid it quickly off, sending several dozens of sparkles onto Allura’s face, catching her off guard. She stood amazed for a moment before Shiro copied her and pointed at a spot on her chin.

“I’ll name that one ‘Last laugh.’”

***

Space cat nip was all Lance was hearing. 

How else would one describe a few alien leaves that affected the state of their furry friends? Okay, he could maybe think of something else to call it. But honestly? He just wanted to know if it would affect Keith.

“Lance, stop trying to drug Keith,” Shiro ordered, already done with the blue paladin’s shenanigans. He said it just as the red paladin shoved the other, making him tumble to the ground. “It’s not nice.”

“You’re no fun,” Lance pouted, still holding the leaves in his hand. Chavo sniffed at them curiously. “It’s not nice to shove people either,” he added in a grumble.

Coran had brought the leaves back after he finished up with a couple diplomats at a nearby planet. He held them out, singing about how they were a lovely treat for their companions, who’d gone a few more missions and had more than proven how competent they were as fighters. Again, all Lance heard was space cat nip.

“Galras aren’t cats. Idiot,” Keith said, sighing as he gave a few to Ava. He missed how her ears perked up. 

“You don’t know that! They could be evil, evolved, purple space cats from the future!”

“Nah. They’re obviously chinchillas,” Pidge quickly commented as Wires munched on his leaves. 

“I always thought they kinda looked like koalas,” Hunk added, rubbing the back of his head. 

“Why are we even discussing this,” the red paladin groaned, rolling his eyes.

“I agree with Pidge,” Shiro spoke up again, earning a betrayed look from Lance and Keith. But for very different reasons.

“But the eyes! And the ear- Chavo?” Lance looked down at his kaia who was rubbing against him and purring loudly. The creature fell into his lap, squirmed and kicked, and then wrapped around his waist. “Awww~ Too cute~”

“I should mention,” Coran began as he popped into the room, noticing all the kaias had been given the space cat nip. “They all-”

“AVA WHY,” Keith screamed as the grey kaia randomly jumped into his arms, resting in them for a moment before propelling herself off his chest. She then proceeded to run UP THE WALLS, and do her equivalent of parkour. Meanwhile, Keith was crumpled on the floor. He’d be fine. 

Lance poked him with a stick. Yeah. He’d be fine.

Wait. Where did he get the stick?

“- react differently to it,” Coran finished, and quickly dashed down the hallway before Keith came after his blood.

Spice shot up and dashed out of the room to run along the corridors. She didn’t stop running until later that night. She saw ALL the rooms.

Wires didn’t seem very different. If anything, he just seemed more relaxed. He laid there as the others freaked out over the berserk kaias. Pidge was somewhat disappointed.

Hime was clingy. More clingy than she usually was. To the point Shiro had to carry her around on his back (she sort of just attached herself to it, similar to a sloth) until it wore off. Ava had catapulted over him over ten times while they walked down the halls. It was scary how fast he got used to it.

“Hello, Shiro,” Allura greeted as he trudged into the control room. She didn’t comment on the white furred growth on his back, but simply went over and began stroking her. 

Only for a large paw to shoot up and sling around her neck, dragging her down.

She was forced to awkwardly hug Shiro, half on his lap and half hanging off. They were both laughing, faces red, and hands shaking. 

This, they both decided, they could get used to.

However, Coran was never allowed to bring space catnip back to the ship again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The spanish means: Whatever, Salt!
> 
> You guys might have noticed that I maxed the chapters out at 10. I have many reasons for this, but to put it simply: I want to move on. I love this fic, don't get me wrong, but I'm not one to stay on a fanfic for too long. That's why you'll mostly see oneshots from me. I'm writing my own things, along with school assignments- things pile up. So, I'm gonna stop at 10 chapters. HOWEVER, this does not mean I won't ever revisit this fic and add another chapter or two. But only time will tell.
> 
> Though, you guys can also suggest to me things to write! It doesn't even have to be Voltron (though, I am thinking of doing a 3-4 chapter fic of a ATLA crossover. We'll see.) You can visit my tumblr and take a look at my fandoms if you're interested.
> 
> Anyways, I also wanted to give you guys a big thanks! You guys are so nice and have given me a lot of confidence in my writing. This has been a wonderful experience so far, and has reminded me even midnight thoughts have the ability to be something people can enjoy! :>


	7. A Time to Relax and Rewind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you need a break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeey~ I'm not dead! Sorry its been taking so long, I've been very busy! I wrote this in barely two days, but I do like how it came out~ More news down below!
> 
> (PS: I apologize for any errors- i edited quickly.)

Pidge was working in the lab, away from the rest of the paladins. Her fingers danced across her keyboard, and Wires purred next to her, happy to catch a quick nap. It was barely six, by Earth’s standards anyways. And the faint echoes of her friends could be heard as they attempted to find something worthwhile to do. They had been locked up for a few days while they tracked Galra activity, and all of them had been growing restless.

A smile crept up on the small girl’s face as the files finished downloading. She closed her computer after putting it in sleep mode, and hastily attached it to Wires’s back for him to carry, while she set to work grabbing the other equipment. A few minutes later, they were jogging down the halls towards the commons area. Surprisingly, none of the other paladins were in there, besides Shiro, who was staring at an Altean book in his hands. (He was honestly just trying to look busy so the others wouldn’t bother him.) Hime was splayed out on top of the couch, fast asleep.

But Pidge didn’t care that he was attempting to zone out, she was too happy. And Shiro was gonna be happy in a bit too, if everything went according to plan.

“Heeey, Shiro,” she sing songed as she walked up next to him. He shuffled in his spot on the couch, disturbed by the voice she was using. It was her can-you-do-something-for-me voice. And he, in fact, did not want to do anything- for once. Allura had beaten him in a sparring match earlier and he was still sore, so can you blame the guy? 

“Yes...?” His uneasy response didn’t faze the small girl, in fact, it seemed to brighten her smile. Oh. She had something planned.

“Can you go grab the others and bring all the pillows and blankets in the castle in here? I’d really appreciate it.” As she talked, she set down the load that was in her arms (however, it was covered in a blanket so he couldn’t see what it was.)

“That wasn’t really a request, was it?”

“Nope.” With a sigh, the tired dad of four began to make his way to the door. Hime decided she’d rather not get up (traitor!!) “Oh. And don’t come back until you have everyone. I’m setting up a surprise.”

Shiro’s raised eyebrow did not make Pidge respond.

 

***

“Hunk, you didn’t need to grab mattresses,” the black paladin groaned as he struggled to hold five pillows and three blankets, all while walking down a dark hallway. Hunk, meanwhile, gladly trekked on with two mattresses on his shoulders. Go big or go home.

“I just wanna be prepared, ya know? Who knows what Pidge is planning,” the big guy reasoned. A sigh escaped into the air again. There it goes.

They spotted two small flashes of yellow down the hall and stilled. However, it was quickly followed by excited footsteps, and soon Lance and Keith emerged from the darkness carrying blankets and pillows as well. The red paladin was in his galra form, seeing as it was growlingly difficult to maintain his regular appearance with all the high energy. Despite this, he was beaming alongside his blue companion.

“Okay, so we got six blankets and four pillows! I’m so ready,” Lance practically was yelling at this point. 

“I still don’t know why Pidge told you what she was planning,” Hunk grumbled, pouting. Yes, it was indeed a shock when Shiro had tracked down Lance (finding him playing an odd form of chess with Coran) and told him what Pidge had said, only for him to dash off screaming that he knew “what was up.” And it appears he had managed to find Keith as well, who was smiling nearly as much as the blue paladin. For whatever reason.

Seriously, why was he smiling so much?

“Coran and Allura are going to meet us there,” their leader informed. Damn. The smiling must be contagious.

That definitely wasn’t a bad thing, he had decided.

As they neared the door, Coran and the princess appeared. However, they were carrying an array of snacks rather than sleep equipment. 

“Pidge sent us a message on the comms,” Coran explained, clutching at the bags in his arms while Allura juggled the drinks. It was then they all realized an important fact.

They could not open the door with their arms full.

“Kinda wish I had a third arm right now,” Lance cried while balancing on one leg to knock on the door with the other. Suddenly, the door opened mid-kick, and the lanky paladin went down like a lead balloon. 

“You okay, buddy,” Pidge asked as she peered down at him, still holding the door slightly shut so they couldn’t peer in. She received a thumbs up, so she concluded he would live. “Alright. Close your eyes!” Everyone did so, except for Lance, who shimmied his way past the green paladin so he wouldn’t be in the way. Slowly, she dragged each of them in. “Okay. Open them!”

A few things happened in that moment.

There was audible gasps all around. Hunk dropped the mattresses in amazement, followed by Shiro. Why, you may ask?

They could see home.

No, not as in Earth. (Even though they still would like that.)

No. Home was in the atmosphere. Perhaps not quite in the large projection screen that was draped against the far wall, of course. But an old, brown rug was rolled out across the ground, with the couches framing it. The windows were drawn shut, covered in pale white sheets. A small sound machine looped thunderstorm noises that almost made it possible to actually SMELL the rain. You could even hear it as it beat against the glass. The lights had been dimmed, and something resembling candles were cast around the room. 

And all the kaias were curled up on various areas.

Chavo and Ava laid on top of one another, their purring growing louder as their paladins came into view. Wires was spread out length-wise on the carpet, while Spice hung off the couch. Hime was sitting up and watching as everyone slowly stepped around the room. Each at a loss for words.

The sheets weren’t curtains. The rain was just sounds. The brown carpet was probably made out of some Altean version of cloth. Those weren’t Earth candles. And the kaia weren’t dogs or cats.

But it was more than enough. Oh God, was it more than enough. 

“And, ya know, while it took a while, I DID download some Earth movies,” Pidge spoke up, suddenly sounding bashful. Her face had a soft red tinge to it. Everyone trained their eyes on her, and Lance gave her a smile of encouragement. “I just, I know you guys probably miss home- I know I do- and well- you guys are like my family now. And I know it’s silly, but me and my mom used to set this kind of thing up when my dad and brother came home or when it stormed… And I thought it would be nice to do it with you guys too. It’s great being the Defenders of the Universe and all, but- well- I think-”

“We all needed a break,” Shiro finished for her, and she nodded her head vigorously. Without wasting another second, he hugged her. “This is wonderful, Pidge.” It was a whisper, but everyone could hear it. 

“GROUP HUG,” Hunk shouted, tears rolling down his face as he scooped up the two paladins. Laughing, Lance dragged Keith over and joined. Followed by Allura and Coran. It was a little awkward in the way they each gripped, but they wouldn’t have had it any other way.

And then they were falling.

The kaias had grown aggravated that they were they had not been included in the group hug, which led all of them to be sprawled on the ground on top of the heaps of blankets and pillows that had previously been dropped. Large paws rested on chests, and the purrs were so loud they were starting to drown out the “thunderstorm.” Tails tickled noses, Allura giggled as Shiro struggled to sit up, Lance was pressed between Pidge and Keith, and Hunk laughed heartily from underneath Coran.

Yeah. They needed this.

***

The mattresses were laid out. Two forts had been made over them, and a silent war between them had begun. Hunk and Pidge against Lance and Keith. Neither showed mercy. 

[Caution: Don’t leave snacks unattended. It is said a small, bird-like creature will swoop in and eat it before you even have a chance to shed a single tear. (“I’m sorry, Keith. I know how much you loved those chips.” “THEY WERE SO YOUNG!” “I know, buddy, I know.”)]

Pidge had downloaded an entire playlist of movies, ranging from romcoms to thrillers. Oldies to modern. PG to R rated. They just didn’t end. It was great, in their opinions.

They watched the first Star Trek movie, The Lion KIng (this was a must in Lance’s eyes. Allura asked many questions. “What is that small bird? Why are they able to talk? SHIRO, WHY DID HE PUSH HIS BROTH-” “It’ll be alright, Princess. It’s just a movie.”... Shiro was seen crying shortly after speaking those words), Pumpkinhead (a personal favorite of Pidge’s), and the first Iron Man (Hunk would later be seen trying to replicate the suit.) Coran was quite impressed with the quality of the films, and occasionally made a comment on the film industry on Altea. 

Some goo form of popcorn had found its way into Lance’s hair, prompting him to whine until Keith shoved a handful in his mouth to quiet him. Despite his glare, the blue paladin didn’t move from the other’s side. Actually, it seemed he sunk closer. 

Hunk and Pidge had formed their own nests made out of the softest materials they could find. One could guess they were getting ready to hibernate for the winter. But in reality, they were hoarding all the snacks. No one bothered to call them out on it. 

“Hey, Pidge?”

“Yeah, Lance?”

“This was a good idea.”

“Yeah… It was.”

***

As the credits for the last movie rolled, Shiro took in the sight around him. Pidge was fighting to stay awake inside the fort with Hunk, while the yellow paladin finished off his drink slowly with a soft smile on his face. Spice was draped across his back, snuggled into a large blanket he had given her. Wires’s eyes had been shut for a good hour, around the time he had curled up at the entrance of their fort.

Lance and Keith had began to share a blanket sometime during the course of the night, with both of them on their backs and pressed tightly against each other. The black paladin smiled, remembering the reason why the half galra had been so happy earlier. Lance had managed to find a large, fur blanket that reminded him of the one he had had as a kid, and which was the one the two were folded up in. Chavo and Ava had nestled farther into the fort, most likely to curl up at their paladins’ feet together.

Coran was laying on the opposite couch, an arm flung across his eyes and soft snores bristling his beard. Every few moments he would mutter something indistinguishable. Hunk and Lance had attacked him with an assortment of blankets and pillows earlier, so several still hung off of him. Yet, he had never looked comfier and more content.

Lastly, Allura was pressed into Shiro’s side with Hime behind her, nearly blending in with her white locks. Her eyes had fluttered shut a few minutes before, and the man didn’t have the heart to wake her. Instead, he pulled the blanket around them closer, tucked a pillow under his own head and drifted off with her.

“It’s been forever since I was part of a sleepover,” Hunk whispered to Pidge after noticing everyone else asleep. The small girl yawned and nodded in agreement, nuzzling into her small cocoon she had created. Chuckling softly, the yellow paladin followed in her footsteps. Soon enough, the air was filled with sleepy silence, only disrupted by the occasional snore.

The “thunder” and “rain” raged on, the “curtains” were drawn, and the “candles” casted lumpy shadows. Hands made their way into other hands. Breaths evened out. The Castle had never felt warmer.

And, for a moment, the universe was quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright. How long has it been? Three, four weeks? I really do apologize. My AP courses require a lot of studying and other things have been keeping me busy as well.
> 
> Anyways, I have THREE CHAPTERS LEFT before I "end" this story. Before I do write those though, I plan on writing a oneshot for Halloween (not related to Space Cats- but if you guys would like I can make the next chapter Halloween themed.) Feel free to suggest prompts for the next chaps. You can even just send me a theme word (ie: Nightmares, cooking, adventure, ect) and I'll see what I can do. 
> 
> Hope you guys have a wonderful week and stay awesome! ^^
> 
> (You may notice Pidge and Lance are close in this chap- It's a bit of a reference to my earlier fic "The Ballad Of Green and Blue"! Check it out if you'd like!)


	8. They know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, kaia are far from simple minded. And are far more in-tune with their people than they sometimes let on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ready for a bit of fluffy Klance?

Ava was ruthless.

Keith was off training (like he did everyday), while Lance sat in the common area. The others were off doing their own thing as well, and the blue paladin was oddly quiet with no one around. He simply sat on the couch, with Chavo sleeping soundly on his legs, and read a rather interesting book Shiro had suggested to him. He doubted their leader actually thought he was going to read it, but, then again, none of them really knew he was an avid reader. Except Hunk. And Keith was starting to get suspicious of all the books holed up in his room.

Moving on, the book was actually pretty good. It involved some Altean dynamics that he didn’t fully understand, but it didn’t really matter. It was about a couple explorers having to survive in the wilderness for a year after their ship crashed, only to be hunted by the wildlife. 

Lance was fairly certain it was based off a true story.

The blue paladin was just about to flip the page when a grey paw suddenly shot out and hit the book out of his hands. It landed on the floor with a loud  _ THUMP  _ that echoed off the room’s walls.

How dare she.  

“Can I help you, Ava,” Lance asked, stretching to grab his book off the floor without disturbing Chavo, who hadn’t even flinched from the loud noise. Ava just blinked up at him. “Alright then.” With that, he turned back to his reading.

_ THUMP _

“What’s your problem?” The boy was growing tired. He just wanted to read his book! The main character was swimming during a hurricane (from what he could decipher- his Altean was pretty good, but it was still lacking.) He tried to retrieve his book once again, but Ava quickly batted it across the room with a large paw. “Okay. First of all: Rude. Second: Uncalled for.” 

Huffing angrily, Lance crossed his arms and proceeded to pout at the ceiling. He couldn’t get up to get it, because Chavo was sleeping. And everyone knows the rule when a cat is sleeping on you.

Then there was paw on his chest, pushing down on him, and he began to flail. 

“Ava, buddy, Keith’s weird cat child- get off of me,” Lance groaned, but the grey kaia ignored him and began to situate herself on top of the paladin. “This is how I die. Cuter than how I imagined, but it’s still death.” When Chavo picked up on the situation, he didn’t help. He actually made it worse. Moving closer, he laid his head on the other creature’s back and fell back asleep.

Lance was wheezing.

Ava began to purr.

With a lot of effort, and the fear of death in his heart, the lanky teen was able to roll out from under the slumbering duo. He stayed sitting on the floor for a moment, catching his breathe, before he walked across the room to retrieve his book. With it firmly tucked under his arm, he marched out and towards the kitchen.

Allura was sitting at the table, eating a small plate of goo when he walked in. At first, she looked apprehensive- surely he was going to flirt with her again. He did everyday. It was always harmless, but she was eating!

Then he sat down and flipped open a book she was rather familiar with.

“Oh! Is that the Duo and the Death?” The Princess beamed when Lance looked up for barely a second to nod, only to return back to the words on the page. “I love that book,” she chirped, slurping down the rest of her goo before striding over to him. “What part are you on?” He quickly told her. “How exciting! I always liked the part after that where-”

“Princess! No spoilers,” Lance practically growled, only to flinch at his own tone. Where had that come from? It didn’t look like it had bothered Allura, though. She seemed rather ashamed actually.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t think. I’ll leave you to your reading then. After you finish, tell me. So me, you, and Shiro can talk about it, hm?”

“Yeah, okay,” he replied, flicking his eyes over to the book. He wanted to hold eye contact, but he really just wanted to keep reading. Funny, considering he used to find it so hard to keep his eyes off the white-haired goddess. But, as of late, his  _ interest  _ in her has depleted. He loved her a lot, but that intense feeling of attraction was no longer there. Bit by bit she became more like a sister than anything.

Sending him another brief smile, Allura gathered her dishes and took them to the sink before leaving. What she was going to do- Lance had no idea.

_ The water was freezing. His arms had grown numb, and Likret was unsure if his body was even moving anymore. He had lost sight of Imlat, and the current was becoming far too strong. Trees were falling into the river. One fell at his side and a limb brushed against his side. However, he soon found it hadn’t been a simple touch as the water around him began to darken with his blood. Likret cried out- _

“Mrow,” Ava chattered, headbutting the book in the blue paladin’s hand, causing him to lose focus. The grey kaia was purring loudly as she batted at him. Sighing, he placed the book on the table and stared at the space cat trying to get his attention.

“What,” he grumbled, rolling his eyes. Ava huffed before, once again, she tried to climb on top of him. He gently pushed her away. “Look, Ava, I’m not sure if you realize this- but your weight could literally kill me. Go bother Keith!” Lance picked up his book again after turning his attention away from her.

However, much like her paladin, Ava was very stubborn. The book landed on the ground for the third time that day.

“Alright, stop that,” the blue paladin ordered, jumping to his feet. He snatched his book up and leered at the kaia. She took a step towards him, her tails flicking to the side. “Ava.” Another step. “AVA.” Another step and Lance was running out the door, Ava hot on his heels.

What had gotten into her?

Before he knew it, Lance was running onto the training deck and tackling his newly purple comrade, squeaking rather loudly when Ava pounced into the room. Keith was suddenly pushed upwards into a sitting position, while the blue paladin hid behind him, clutching his book to his chest and glaring at the offending kaia.

“Lance?”

“Yes, Keith?”

“Care to explain?”

“She’s stalking me and harassing my book. I demand you take her away from me.”

“You sound ridiculous.”

“Is it ridiculous to fear for mine and my book’s safety? Huh, Keith?”

Sighing, the red paladin stood up, quickly followed by Lance who pressed himself against Keith’s back to use him as a wall. The shorter boy coughed to cover up his slight flush. Ava stared up at him, something passing over her eyes before she wound herself around him. Her purr sounded ominous.

“Alright, Ava, let’s go back to our room,” Keith said, patting her softly on the head. 

“Yes, good, leave me alone,” Lance cheered, smiling brightly. Keith rolled his eyes, his large purple ears flattening against his skull. His friend laughed before patting his head, just like Keith had just done to Ava. “Who knew Galra ears were so soft?” Either Lance didn’t see, care, or just thought it was some joke, but the blush on the other’s face wasn’t commented on. Which was a bit of a relief.

But, Keith couldn’t help the tiny bit of sadness that creeped into him.

***

They were all in the control room in their respective seats. Their computers pulled up and in use. Lance was flicking through the settings idly, as Allura had left for a few minutes to take care of something. Sighing, he fiddled with fonts and the time. The kaia were walking around, stopping occasionally to stare at something, obviously bored. 

A few moments later, the blue paladin felt something brush against his legs and absent mindedly began to stoke Chavo’s head. That is, before he realized it wasn’t his kaia, and in fact was Ava, who blinked up at him with wide eyes. He ceased his petting and went back to his computer- he was still a little angry at her.

A large paw lifted into his lap. Then two. And before he could tell her off, Ava had clambered onto Lance, barely fitting alongside him in his chair.  Sputtering, he attempted to shove her off his lap, but she ignored him and laid down, her tails falling over the side of the seat.

“Keith,” Lance groaned, gaining the other’s attention after a few moments. The red paladin’s purple ears flew up in surprise before he began to laugh, whole heartedly. “Haha, Keith. You’ve had your laugh, now get your mongrel off of me!” By this point, the other paladins had turned their attention to the two boys. Lance was kicking up his legs angrily to try and bother the purring kaia in his lap. Keith made no move to help him.

“Nah, she looks comfy.”

“Keith, you bastard! I’m losing feeling in my thighs!”

“Not my problem.”

“ _ Your space cat, your problem _ !” 

Allura finally walked back into the room, Coran trailing behind her, and took in the scene before. Keith was trying to hold in his laughter while Lance whined and hissed at him. The other three were looking on with big smiles and giggles.

“What’s going on in here,” she asked, holding back the smile on her face in order to look serious. Everyone immediately quieted and snapped their attention to her.

“Ava won’t get off my lap, and Keith won’t help me,” Lance muttered, imitating a pouting child.

“Tell me, Lance, has she been bothering you a lot?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“That makes sense.” Everyone looked to the Princess for further explanation, Keith and Lance looking especially confused. But she just grinned and carried on with what she had started before she left.

***

Keith was wrestling with Ava. This was a normal occurrence, and often took place in the training room. It was like playing with a dog, he quickly found out. Coran had brought a lot of toys when he first brought the kaia on board, and Ava’s favorite was one that looked very similar to an Earth rope toy. It even had a ball on the end!

“Yo, Keith, have you seen Chavo’s bandana anywhere?” The blue paladin strode into the room, his eyes already searching the room. The black kaia was right behind him, blue eyes shining in the light.

“Nope,” Keith responded, sitting up from his laid down position. Ava paused with the toy in her mouth to look at their visitors.

“Hm. I can’t find it in my room or in the main room. It’s strange.” The lanky boy was about to turn and leave when Chavo suddenly took off towards Keith, startling both boys as the red paladin was once again knocked to the floor. 

“Chavo!” The shorter male gasped as the kaia flung his weight onto him. Ava made an odd chirping noise before joining them, shoving the toy towards Chavo, who happily took it. As soon as he did, though, Keith took the other end and started tugging. He laughed as the black kaia let out a playful growl. Lance found himself chuckling softly as the three rolled around on the floor, fighting for the toy.

Ava looked back at him, and the next thing he knew he was being pushed over. Falling to the floor in a heap as the creature continued tackling him. Her head pushed into his chest and he pushed her in turn. Next thing the blue paladin knew, all four of them were out of breathe and laying on the floor from playing.

And, for a second, the two paladins’ hands brushed. But both acted like they imagined it.

***

“She looks ridiculous,” Keith complained, leering down at the blue paladin and Ava, who were both laying on the black haired boy’s bed. The grey kaia was wearing a collar of fake, colorful flowers. She seemed quite proud of it.

Lance gasped and covered the kaia’s large ears (without much success.)

“She looks BEAUTIFUL and you should be ashamed of yourself!” The blue paladin glared at the other as he stroked the grey fur of the large creature on his lap. Chavo laid behind him, wearing his blue bandana that they managed to find behind the microwave (how it got there was beyond them.) He huffed softly, almost like he was laughing.

“Whatever,” Keith responded, climbing onto the bed to sit beside the other male. “Where’d you even find these?” They could hear Ava’s purring, similar to that of an engine. The red paladin touched the flowers gently, and the kaia looked at him with a slight squint, warning him not to take it off. He held up his hands in mock surrender.

“The last planet we liberated. Their market was overflowing with these, so while you guys talked to the king or whatever he was, me and Hunk snuck off to nab some of them.” Lance looked over at Keith, a small smirk forming. “I thought they would fit Ava, and also, well…” Before Keith could ask why he trailed off, the blue paladin placed a fake flower into his hair, tucked behind his ear. It was indigo, and looked vaguely like a lily. “Perfect!” Despite what some might call a “smooth move,” Lance’s face had turned a soft shade of red and he turned his attention back to Ava, softly nudging her flower collar into the proper place (even though it was fine.)

Keith shifted just a bit closer, not even bothering to fight the blush blossoming on his cheeks.

***

Shiro and Allura were talking quietly to each other as they walked down the dimly lit corridor. Their hands clasped together. Hime at Allura’s side. Their conversation roamed from battle plans to what they planned to do the next time they had a few hours off. 

Until they walked into the common room.

Keith and Lance were fast asleep on the couch, leaning against one another as they both breathed softly. Ava was resting in the blue paladin’s lap, while Chavo laid on the other’s lap. In between them, their hands rested on top of each other’s. Purple ears flicked softly.

“Hmm,” Allura hummed to herself, helping Shiro drape a blanket over them. “I knew it.”

“How,” the black paladin asked, looking down at the two sleeping forms. He thought they might have liked each other, but he wasn’t as sure as Allura. That was certain. The Princess chuckled as she tapped the other’s cheek with her pointer finger.

“Ava and Chavo let me know.”

“What?”

“Kaia tend to become affectionate to the person their owner fancies,” she explained, gesturing to the two creatures. As if to make her point more clear, Hime headbutted her hand and curled around her legs. Shiro flushed.

“I see.” The three of them stood there for a few minutes, watching the four sleeping figures. 

“Come on, we should let them sleep,” Allura finally said, taking Shiro’s hand once again. He smiled at her before following her out of the room.

However, they both missed Chavo and Ava raising their heads and sharing a look, their tails waving softly in contentment. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so sorry for such a late update. Its been crazy the past couple months, and I just didn't have a lot of time to write. Who else is excited for season two tho?? I hope you guys like this shortish chapter, I had a lot of fun writing it. Even if my sense of romance isn't that great. Haha.
> 
> Have a nice weekend guys! I'll try to find more time to write.
> 
> (This is all un-beta'd and I did quick work at looking over it. So sorry for any mistakes.)

**Author's Note:**

> You can find my tumblr here: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/uncaringrose
> 
> I may draw an actual picture of these space cats if this gets enough attention. If I do, that's where I'll post it. 
> 
> My friend helped me name Keith and Lance's kaia. And for reference, Lance and Pidge are the only ones with males, the rest are female.


End file.
